Adam Milligan, President EQUIVITA

Before I started working in healthcare I used to try and avoid taking any pain relievers or
anti-inflammatories. I had the notion that my body would heal on its own and that I was certainly capable of handling some pain. When I started working with Physical Therapists and Athletic Trainers I became aware that this way of thinking might not be the way to take the best care of my body. 
 
There is no question that in most cases the body will heal itself. This is so predictable that we rarely even give it much consideration. We exercise to cause damage to the body such that it will be stimulated to grow stronger - healing! If we have an area that is hurt or painful we often give it time - to heal! Time heals because the body is actively working to recover. Unfortunately, this healing is not always in the best interest of the body.
 
What I learned from the healthcare providers was that when it comes to an injury, and the body response of rushing healing properties to the injured area, there is sometimes an excessive amount of inflammation and that it actually hinders the healing. In addition to slowing the healing process, the inflammation brings collagen (scar tissue) that can adhere in such a way to become an ongoing problem.
 
For these reasons it makes sense to consider the use of things that will reduce the inflammation; ice and anti-inflammatories. But over the years I realized that you have to go even further. You have to evaluate how your body is healing - because in reality it is doing it all the time.
 
Sometimes it is as simple as a strain to your shoulder that is a little irritating but you think it should heal with some time. And over time you have less pain or maybe it only hurts when you do certain activities. So, you take your anti-inflammatories and try to avoid those aggravating activities but your body might now be adapting to lose the ability to do those activities. Maybe you won't be able to raise your arm to the side without arching your back and raising your shoulder - which places the stress of raising your arm onto the spine and compresses the space in the shoulder joint.
 
It is these types of adaptations, in the movements that you do all the time to live your life, that your body is doing all the time. It is continually becoming better at doing those activities that you do and losing the ability to do the other. And often your body does this so seamlessly that you are not even aware of the change. In fact, you might not even be aware of how your body has shunted blood flow away from a muscle (making it ischemic and painful) until someone touches it and you feel the pain because the nerves have been woken up.
 
No question, I became a believer in the benefits of anti-inflammatories but as with everything you need to consider far more than just the short-term. Your body doesn't really have the ability to think longevity, that is where you have to use your mind to ensure that you are going in the direction that you want.

Christopher Yeoman, Transitional Fitness Trainer

We have felt a presence we have not felt in a long time. It is weight that settles on us even as you read this article. It may be subtle now but it is coming.  

Now I am not saying that the holidays are the Lords of the Sith to my Jedi eating habits but they are damn close. You are going to read numerous articles in the coming months about how to minimize your food intake. Drink water, smaller plates, and fill up on vegetables will pervade every magazine and fitness blog on the interwebs. However, I am going to do something a little different. I am going to teach you how to Jedi Mind trick the hell out of your holiday.   

Perhaps you have counted your calories or kept up with cardio. Maybe you have realized your system does not tolerate sugar well or maybe lactose has been an issue. Perhaps you are like me and have discovered that eating poorly actually will cause some health issues and not everyone is thoughtful of that or understands the implications that could arise. 

For the majority of us the battle in the coming months is not with the amounts of food that are available to us, but the pressure from family and friends to consume said food (in any amount).   In order to be victorious one needs understanding and support.  

"I love you." "I know." - Han Solo/ Leia Organa

In my household food is pure emotion. It is love. It is pride and approval. It is the very glue that bonds us. What blinds us to this concept during the holidays? What makes this different from all of the other times you can say no to that slice of pie? 

One could surmise that the overwhelming amount of people, friends, and the pressures of the events themselves lend to the temptation of breaking with your dietary goals. The sheer amount of food my family prepares is a testament to their skill and their love. Rejecting the offering of their outpouring is considered callous and rude. So I monitor my intakes and offer the learnings of the Jedi to help you padawan on your own path. Just donʼt go waving your hands around that is a pretty big give away.   

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Beware the dark side, you must." - Yoda

If someone is failing in their own fitness attempts they may be dealing with envy, anger, or even guilt. Seeing successful moderation on your part exposes their failure or inadequacy. They become hyperaware and feel judgement even when there is none.

Often there could be a longing for the past. Perhaps they were in better shape, or perhaps you were a little less healthy. Those were happy times when you were in cahoots one-way or the other. Why can't it be like it was before? Misery loves company not because it absolves guilt. But there are more people to shoulder the burden.      

"Your focus determines your reality." - Qui-Gon Jinn

Being aware of the situation that holiday eating presents allows you to think about it without the emotional component. Set yourself limits and be aware when the undermining forces come to bear. Being mindful of your surroundings and in the moment allows you to enjoy the social components of the event while minimizing your need to mindlessly binge on Aunt Gladysʼs bowl of homemade puppy chow.  
 
"These are not the droids you are looking for." - Obi-Wan Kenobi 

Kenobi was the absolute Bomb at this. Giving a short answer with a quick deflection is an amazing way around the long-winded 20 minute explanation that you feel you have given one hundred times or more over that past year. For example,
 "I hear you are still on that diet."
"Oh yeah. It's going well in fact I have the best recipe for turkey leftovers this year. It is amazing. What are you doing with your leftovers this year? "  

"Hmm! Adventure. Hmmpf! Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things."  Yoda  

While we all enjoy the success that comes with meeting our goals, sometimes that success can come with more pressure than we intended to carry during the holiday season on our self or others. (See the Dark side paragraph above.) Accept compliments graciously with a smile; return them in kind.

" I wish I had your type of will power; you look amazing."
" Thank you so much but look at you - such a sense of fashion - you look stunning."
   
"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, ... He betrayed and murdered your father."  Obi-Wan Kenobi 

Ok I am not going to say flat out lie but if it comes to it the truth is almost always a matter of a point of view. If someone really needs and an answer to their line of questioning simple and short and a potential fib can come in handy. It avoids the whole awkward explanation and can get you out of the moment without hurting any feelings.

" No pie, OMG you LOVE PIE! Here have some pie."
"I really canʼt - it just doesnʼt sit well with me and we have two other events this evening."  

These strategies will help you during the upcoming social events with friends and family. The earlier you start practicing them the easier it will be when it comes to putting them to use in practical settings. Soon you shall be fielding and deflecting issues like a true Jedi Master.   
As always let us know how we can help. May the force be with you. 

#ilovebeingfit
#EQUIVITA   

Do you have other strategies in dealing with the oncoming holidays? We would love to hear about them. Share them here in  the comments or on our Facebook page and help support others during these festive yet challenging times.

Understanding posture in the work station, and tips to counteract the 'forces of the desk'
Cheryl Harris, Master Licensed Massage Therapist
 
In working every day with people that have some sort of job or hobby, I see a lot of people who are 'chained' to a desk all day for their jobs. What can this do, over time, to a person's body? What can a Massage Therapist see that the person sitting at the desk working doesn't? What can we do to counteract some of those things that are happening?
 
These are all questions that can come up, especially when seeing a client for the first time, which leads to me asking a lot of questions before clients even have a chance to get on my table! I do ask people about where they work, or what they do during the day (if they are not working), how they spend their time, etc. A lot of times I will even have conversations about how folks are sleeping. Why? Why all the questions? It's helpful to me, as a therapist, to be able to discern where problems could be stemming from in their bodies. 

So, let's say someone has a seated job. What could happen to their body that would create tension and pain and how could massage benefit them? Let's start with the legs. If you sit at a desk, your legs are bent a the knee, and at the waist. This can create tension in the hamstring muscles, or the back of your thighs. Being in that position continuously doesn't allow for the muscles to move, or get very much blood flow, so they can lean toward being tight and not very mobile when you want or need them to be. This can also be reflected in the lower back and hips, due to not moving very often, or being 'stuck' in a chair. 

Now let's look at the neck, spine and shoulders. If your job involves looking at a computer all day, pay attention. Often times employers don't or can't fit folks for their desks and understandably so, simply because it would be expensive to do this for every person. In a perfect world, we should be looking straight ahead at our computer monitor. Not up. Not down. Straight ahead. Easier said than done, for sure. If we are looking down at a monitor, we can stretch the muscles in the back of the neck forward, to make it 'easier' for us to work. 

Where is the mouse you use for your computer, on your desk? Do you reach for it? This can be another thing that pulls your body in a way that makes you tight. The muscles on the back of your shoulder and spine now also have to stretch forward to reach your mouse and be able to use it. A sort of small thing, but over time, it can affect how you move your body. 

How is your chair that you sit in at your desk? Do your feet hit the floor? Are you leaning forward so you can see your monitor better? Do you get caught up in a great creative idea and just keep going until you finally feel that you can't move your neck or back very easily? These are all things that can contribute to aches and pain and tension in the muscles of your neck and spine.  

There are easy fixes for a lot of these. Start with the sitting part. Set a timer on your computer or your phone-whatever is easy, and get up and walk around the office for a few minutes. Take a walk to the bathroom or the water cooler or just go up a flight of stairs and back down. For the neck, stop and take a minute to look up at the ceiling. Sounds strange, yes, but you won't be looking down at your monitor! You can also take just a minute to sit back in your chair, pull your shoulders and your neck back and let them breathe for a minute or two. Roll your head slowly around in circles. Any of these small easy movements will help to create some blood flow and that's what we need. As for sitting properly in your chair, I would guess that most of us aren't and don't do it consistently. In theory, 'the best' position to be in is sitting up straight, (on your sits bones) with your shoulders pulled back and ab muscles squeezed tight. Yep, I don't do that all the time either! It's a hard thing to maintain constantly, but once you train your brain (and your muscles) that it's something that needs to be done, it will become easier.  All of these are suggestions that I send my clients home with. They are easy, free and can be done anywhere. Perfect. 

Massage can be a huge help with all of these postural tensions as well. It can help create more blood flow and working on the muscles can help offset some of the positional problems that arise. We can stretch the muscles and, quite literally, retrain them as to what position they need to be in, as opposed to what position they want to be in. Our bodies like to work against us when it comes to how we do things, simply because it's easier for the body to maintain. Massage can help disrupt that 'easy' thought and make your body get into a better place and make the maintenance easier. Sometimes massage needs to be therapeutic in order to address some of these issues or, sometimes people just need to relax and let go of the tension to address their issues. Whatever your need is, massage is a great addition to help you maintain your health and well being. 

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have so feel free to send me a note at charris@equivita.com! Hope you get yourself on a massage table soon!by